Makiyama, Center and Liu Trio in concert

Aug 25th 6:00 pm - 9:45 pm

Pamela Liu, violinist, has been in demand as a performer and pedagogue since returning to the Northwest twelve years ago. She received her Bachelors in Violin Performance at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, and was a member of the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra in Taipei, Taiwan, before attending the University of Washington where she received a Masters Degree in Violin Performance.

A devoted mentor to young musicians, Ms. Liu coaches and teaches with The Academy of Music Northwest, the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras, and Musicworks Northwest. As an active performer, Ms. Liu is the concertmaster of the Cascade Symphony, section member of the Yakima Symphony, and part of the violin-guitar duo, Tutti Dolce, with husband Chris Liu.

Michael Center holds degrees in music from the New England Conservatory and the Peabody Institute, where his teachers were Colin Carr and Ronald Thomas. His early studies were with Toby Saks. As an orchestral musician, he has been a member of the Sacramento Symphony, the Phoenix Symphony, and the Washington Chamber Orchestra, of which he was a founding member and principal cellist.

While in Baltimore, he played with the award-winning Trio Fervore, which played many concerts and was featured in radio broadcasts in Boston, Baltimore, and New York. As a chamber musician, he has also concertized with members of the Julliard, Vermeer, Chicago, and Audubon String Quartets and regularly appears with musicians from the San Francisco, Cleveland, Minnesota, and Chicago Symphonies. Mr. Center has participated in the Prague, Taos, Music in the Mountains, Red Rocks and Utah chamber music festivals. He has performed chamber music, concertos, and recitals on both coasts of the U.S. as well as in Europe.

Michael Center has taught chamber music and cello lessons at the School of the Arts in San Francisco, the Marrowstone Music Festival, and the Peabody Conservatory as the teaching assistant of Ronald Thomas. He is currently the principal cellist of Lake Union Civic Orchestra, appears regularly in cello/piano duo recitals with his wife Annie, and in his spare time enjoys cooking and building furniture.

A native of Fukuoka, Japan, pianist Harumi Makiyama leads an active professional life in the Seattle area as an accompanist for Northwest Girlchoir, the Seattle Jewish Chorale, and Lakeside School, and as a concert and freelance pianist, piano teacher, adjudicator, and collaborative artist. In addition to running a private piano studio, she has taught at Chopin Academy of Music, Academy of Music Northwest, and University of Washington and has served on the collaborative staff at Central Washington University.

Harumi has earned degrees in Piano Performance from New England Conservatory of Music and Elisabeth University of Music in Hiroshima, Japan. She also received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance from University of Washington. Her dissertation, Mental Preparation for Piano Performance Using Principles of Aikido, looks for ways alleviate Musical Performance Anxiety (MPA) through ancient Shinto and Zen wisdom found in the Japanese martial art of Aikido, which directly translates as "The Way of Harmony.”

Joey Curtin is a composer and keyboard artist who began her musical career in the San Francisco Bay area. Her piano and synthesizercreations are a fusion of jazz, new age, Americana and Celtic influences. Her performances include: The Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite, The Olympic Village Inn at Squaw Valley, The Ahwahnee Hotel, Yosemite National Park, Stonestown Galleria in San Francisco and American Express Taste of the Nations, San Francisco
Internationally, Joey has performed in Ireland, Scotland, Italy, Indonesia, Ethiopia, the Philippines and Singapore. From 2003-2004 Joey was hired by the Methodist Hospital at the Texas Medical Center in Houston to give performances every weekend. Her music was described by many as "healing". In 2015, Joey’s album "Tigris and Euphrates" was nominated for best piano with instrumentation on One World Radio from London. Her cover tunes album “Going to California” is a collection of piano arrangements of popular rock ballads. This album is receiving great reviews on Pandora radio and other streaming stations. Joey released her latest solo piano album, “Between Earth and Heaven” in 2017. Her music is heard on National Public Radio and has been used in film soundtracks and a documentary that aired on PBS. Her recordings have been used in National and State Park exhibits and art museums across the United States. Joey recently moved to Bellingham, WA where she is composing and recording new projects for a sound library.
Greg Starr was a featured soloist on the Weill Recital Hall Stage in Carnegie Hall, from a lineage of pianists that goes back to Beethoven, as the sheet music transcriber for Milli Vanilli’s infamous debut album, having worked with Mr. Rogers, having performed on stage with Steve Allen, as a founding member of the underground cult band The Rakes, Greg Starr has had a music career filled with grand adventure. Greg has enjoyed a long career in music production, writing and producing music for clients including Wisconsin Public Television, Milwaukee Children’s Theater, the Library of Congress, Lutheran Brotherhood, and Hal Leonard Corporation. His performance credits include the Northwest Chamber Orchestra (Bach f-minor Keyboard Concerto), Orchestra of Central Washington University (Saint-Saens Piano Concerto No.2 in g minor), the Kenosha Symphony, Milwaukee Opera Company, Mr. Steve Allen, and numerous solo appearances. He is a former editor in the Keyboard Product Development Department at Hal Leonard Corporation, where he authored books, articles, and music arrangements for commercial publication. He is the owner of Quiet Rain Music, a boutique producer of solo piano and electronic music recordings. Greg received his M.M. in Piano Performance from Central Washington University, where he also earned undergraduate degrees in Mathematics and Music Theory/Composition. His piano instructors have included Lockrem Johnson (a Guggenheim Fellow in Composition), Tim Strong (a Cliburn Piano competitor), Dr. John Salmon (winner of numerous international competitions), and Dr. Bonnie Bricker-Smith
Jasmine Kinney is a concert violinist from the San Francisco Bay area. She received her BA in music performance on the violin from Cal State Hayward and has performed in string quartets, orchestras, church productions, worship teams and other ensembles as a freelance musician. Besides being classically trained, Jasmine loves to improvise and create her own unique sound. She is an in-demand studio musician and has recorded on many other projects. Jasmine has collaborated with Joey Curtin on numerous recordings which resulted in live performances in San Francisco, Houston, and Kansas City. Jasmine is also a private music instructor for violin and piano. With 27 years of teaching experience, she has helped her students succeed in great musical accomplishments.
TIckets: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3499471

Pamela Liu, violinist, has been in demand as a performer and pedagogue since returning to the Northwest twelve years ago. She received her Bachelors in Violin Performance at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, and was a member of the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra in Taipei, Taiwan, before attending the University of Washington where she received a Masters Degree in Violin Performance.
A devoted mentor to young musicians, Ms. Liu coaches and teaches with The Academy of Music Northwest, the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras, and Musicworks Northwest. As an active performer, Ms. Liu is the concertmaster of the Cascade Symphony, section member of the Yakima Symphony, and part of the violin-guitar duo, Tutti Dolce, with husband Chris Liu.
Michael Center holds degrees in music from the New England Conservatory and the Peabody Institute, where his teachers were Colin Carr and Ronald Thomas. His early studies were with Toby Saks. As an orchestral musician, he has been a member of the Sacramento Symphony, the Phoenix Symphony, and the Washington Chamber Orchestra, of which he was a founding member and principal cellist.
While in Baltimore, he played with the award-winning Trio Fervore, which played many concerts and was featured in radio broadcasts in Boston, Baltimore, and New York. As a chamber musician, he has also concertized with members of the Julliard, Vermeer, Chicago, and Audubon String Quartets and regularly appears with musicians from the San Francisco, Cleveland, Minnesota, and Chicago Symphonies. Mr. Center has participated in the Prague, Taos, Music in the Mountains, Red Rocks and Utah chamber music festivals. He has performed chamber music, concertos, and recitals on both coasts of the U.S. as well as in Europe.
Michael Center has taught chamber music and cello lessons at the School of the Arts in San Francisco, the Marrowstone Music Festival, and the Peabody Conservatory as the teaching assistant of Ronald Thomas. He is currently the principal cellist of Lake Union Civic Orchestra, appears regularly in cello/piano duo recitals with his wife Annie, and in his spare time enjoys cooking and building furniture.

TESTIMONIALS

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Testimonial from tuning Bosendorfer grand for concert pianist in Seattle:
It was a great pleasure for me when I played my piano extensively yesterday later in the day after the piano was tuned. I felt great benefit from the clarity of the sound and liked and enjoyed it very much. So did my wife too when she played - and she has excellent hearing. Thank you dearly!

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I think I played the piano for about six hours on Saturday! My husband is totally enjoying listening to me play again (even with all the wrong notes and crazy tempos) and my daughter is interested in learning. Believe me, this piano could not have a more adoring family! And my granddaughters just cannot wait to play it! I just referred someone to Stage 7!
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Just as buying our piano was a big decision, so was selling it. I had no idea where to start, but decided to send Stage 7 an email. I received a prompt, honest, and very helpful response from Kenn Wildes. He gave me current market information that proved to be 100% accurate regarding selling the piano on my own. As a result, I later consigned my piano to Stage 7 and it sold very quickly. Couldn’t have asked for a better consignment experience!

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My name is Kim B and I'm a piano teacher in the Kirkland area. I've used Stage 7 Pianos numerous times for my piano recitals. The staff is always so helpful and flexible to work with. The acoustics sound fantastic for performances and my students have an extra bonus by being able to play on world class concert grand pianos! Looking forward to using this special venue for many years to come.

– Kim B.

We were extremely pleased with the piano tuning and repairs that Kenn provided. He is very professional, skilled, and personable. His prices were very reasonable for the amount of time and effort he provided (which was a lot). We highly recommend Kenn!

– The Knickrehm Rich Family

I feel as if a new friend has just entered my life....a beautiful Young Chang piano from Stage 7. After 50 years without a piano, I immediately fell in love with the sound and beauty of the piano and the expertise of the staff at Stage 7 helped me cement my decision. They refinished the bench, tuned the piano and made sure that I was connected with an outstanding piano mover who carefully negotiated a few tight left turns to get my piano into its new home.
Starting piano lessons again after so many years is a joy....and sitting down to "practice" fills a place that was missing in my soul. And my family has adopted Young Chang and my son and granddaughter sit down to play each time they visit....bringing extra smiles and warmth to my home.
Thank you, Kenn and staff, for answering all my questions and for helping me choose a new best friend.

– Deborah C.

Kenn, Thank you very much. I appreciate your help and time and cooperation. Stage 7 came highly recommended to us and I am thankful for your help. Getting all of this insurance mess wrapped up has been a challenge.

– Douglas

Kenn helped me look at and assess a used Steinway B piano that I purchased for a venue in Seattle, The Royal Room. Kenn was honest, helpful, and very easy to work with. The piano has worked out great, the performers love it, and we have been very happy.

– Wayne H.

I have used Kenn’s piano tuning services since 2001. ... I found his knowledge of pianos extensive and have continued to call on him over the years. ... Kenn is always prompt, courteous and very kind to my old and temperamental piano. I recommend him to anyone who is looking for a tuner.

– Kerry D.

Kenn, you are running a great business and I am proud to be a part of it. I love that you care for the family and the piano after the sale. I feel cared for and valued as a customer.
You have made this a pressure free experience for us. Payment, loaning the moving equipment and following up about everything going well.
Thank you!!